Organizational Leadership
In your own understanding what is Organizational Leadership?
-Organizational leadership is the ability to leads group of
individuals towards fulfilling an organizations mission or goal.
Leaders can be born or made, naturally endowed or artificially
created. They can be called to the fore by the situations of the
time or make the situation itself.
What do we mean when we speak of "born leaders?" What
constitutes leadership is really the main question. Is a leader
someone who tells others what to do, or a person who helps
others discover for themselves what they should do? What
attitudes should a leader possess?
FUNCTIONAL ROLES THAT LEADERS PLAY
Meaning of Functional Role
The concept of functional roles comes from the idea that a
behavioral act stems from a certain role which it has to satisfy a
particular need.
Within an organization, there are many work groups with
different leadership role but each has to work cooperatively to
achieve the objectives of the company. Different leaders perform
different functions according to the work group they handle.
Types of Functional Role
The functions of the leader may be:
✓ direct, such as choosing the group goal, supervising
performances, making decisions, or completing plans or it may
be more
✓ complex such as serving as the group ego
The group ego develops from the individual egos of the group
members; the group ego develops by:
a. integrating the group's needs and goals with reality outside
the group
b. satisfying interpersonal needs within the group
c. creating an atmosphere free of conflict for group member
In addition, the leader must:
know himself and his men
keep his employees informed
set the example
make sound and timely decision
develop a sense of responsibility among subordinates through
proper supervision and delegation of authority and responsibility
take responsibility of his actions and the action of subordinates
Functional Behavior
One functional behavior of a leader is that he must be a catalyst
or a change agent.
With the functional role of leaders mentioned, it may be noted
that the functional behavior of the leader is one that acts as one
who must get things done in their proper perspectives. He has
to identify the goals, whether he does it alone or with the help of
his group members. He has to make decision or resolve
differences.
Another functional behavior of a leader therefore is that he must
now be more sensitive to the complexities of the times and thus
be more flexible.
Leaders who can transcend special interest and bring people
together are needed. There is, therefore, a need for leaders to
grow or decay.
"They must be flexible to venture into the unknown odds of
tomorrow for they must set the future in motion by gambling
reasonably but fearlessly." (Appendix VII Special
BEHAVIORAL STYLES OF LEADERSHIP
The success or failure of any organization is through their
leadership behavior.
Leadership styles is generally reflected in the behavior patterns
of the leader.
Proper choice of leadership style will result good followers and
high productivity. A wrong choice will result in lack of cooperation
of followers, low morale, and low productivity.
Autocratic Leadership
The autocratic leader or X leader's major task is to command or
give orders and assume that people will follow. In this way, he
gets things done fast. This does not mean that he creates an
atmosphere of hostility or negativism but rather sureness of will.
Instructions are given in detail with care and precision.
Autocratic communication is essentially one-way with nil
feedback which may result to misunderstanding and subsequent
error.
The leader does not know directly what the employees feel and
think.
He makes decision without consulting others.
Participative Leaderships
Participative leaders or Y leaders invite the active participation
of subordinates to share in decision-making process as much as
possible.
Primary concern: Develop group interrelationship as well as
getting the job done.
Participative communication is a two-way process. This requires
patience and a great deal of energy on the part of the leader to
stir the group into participating in planning and deciding so work
may be accomplished effectively
Two types of Participative Leadership
1. Democratic Leader one who emphasizes on his subordinates
their authority to make decisions and abide by such decisions
with no exceptions.
2. Consultative Leader this requires a high degree of
involvement from employees but it is clear that they alone have
the authority to make the final decisions.
Advantages of Participative Leadership
1. Group interrelationship is high.
2. Members abide by whatever the group decides.
3. It supports decisions more enthusiastically and tries hard to
make them work.
4. There is high productivity.
5. It maximizes individuals potential in creative and productive
way and experience personal satisfaction and accomplishment
of their work tasks.
6. Workers take on more responsibility than their job description
calls for.
Disadvantages
1. Time consuming and requires great deal of energy.
2. Maybe used by people with authority as a guise for shirking
from their own responsibilities.
Free-rein Leaders
Free-rein leaders are also referred to as laissez-faire leaders.
Free-rein leaders give their subordinates the goals and
guidelines of their jobs with little direction and leave the rest to
them.
Other Leadership Styles
1. Coercive leadership. This is considered the lowest
grade of leadership. It tells subordinate to "do this or
else..."
2. Leadership by assignment. The leader gives definite
assignments and responsibilities to his subordinates
and expects them to do what has been assigned.
3. Leadership by teaching and explaining. Here the leader
takes pain in teaching and explaining to the group what
is to be done and what he expects from them.
4. Leadership by inspiring and molding ideas. This is
considered the highest form of building good
relationship.
"A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing
poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even
better."
Jim Rohn
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do
more, and become more, you are a leader."
John Quincy Adams
"One of the most important leadership lessons is realizing you're
not the most important or the most intelligent person in the room
at all times."
Mario Batali